Islamic Blog dealing with religious and worldly issues faced by the Muslims.

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Sunday, 23 August 2015

Internationalization of Kashmir Dispute- essentiality of APHC role

Since signing of Simla
Pact, Pakistan’s approach to resolve Kashmir dispute is based more on Indo-Pak
mutual talks than on internationalization of this dispute.Pakistan’s this approach towards Kashmir
dispute has led international community to believe that Kashmir is a
Pak-India’s mutual dispute which should be resolved through Pak-India’s mutual
talks.This scenario underlines only a
nominal role of APHC and reflects prime importance of Pak-India’s role to
settle this dispute. Such a bilateral approach to resolve Kashmir dispute goes
in India’s favor because it enables India to defer settlement of this dispute
indefinitely, and also to settle this dispute (if India would will it so at any
distant point in the future history) in India’s favor instead of settling it
fairly. On the other hand, if Pakistan adopts approach of ‘Internationalization
of the dispute’, such approach would deprive India of veto power which India
enjoys in case of bilateral approach, and would enhance chances of fair
settlement of Kashmir dispute.

India’s recent demand
from Pakistan for not involving APHC in settlement of Kashmir dispute is not
only a pretension to call off the Pak-India talks but also a well thought over
India’s policy tactic to forestall internationalization of Kashmir dispute.
India knows very well if Pakistan switches over from bilateral approach to
internationalization approach regarding Kashmir dispute, Pakistan can do so
only through presenting Kashmir dispute to international community as an issue
of right of self-determination of millions of Kashmiri people; in other words,
role of APHC needs to be enhanced in order to internationalize the dispute.
India’s recent bet to play down APHC’s importance in order to forestall
internationalization of Kashmir dispute can also be better understood by taking
into account changing regional scenario which has tilted towards Pakistan.

Historically Russia
(erstwhile USSR) has been supporting India against Pakistan in the Security
Council because Pakistan was considered to be in the USA’s camp. With the
emergence of China as economic super power of the region, China needs to
establish itself as the greatest economic stake-holder in the region in order
to not only maintain but also further enhance its international economic
stature. Resultantly we are seeing huge Chinese investments in CAS,
Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, which would lead to economic integration of
these countries in near future. Russia is fully aware of Pakistan’s economic
and strategic importance in the emerging regional scenario which reflects
Pak-China Economic Corridor as vanguard of regional economic integration. As a
result, we are seeing emergence of friendly economic and defense relations
between Pakistan and Russia. This changed regional scenario has deprived India
of unconditional USSR’s support in the Security Council against Pakistan; if
Pakistan agitates the Security Council to proceed further to settle Kashmir
dispute on the basis of UN resolutions, Russia’s worst reaction would NOT be to
veto Pakistan’s initiative. If Pakistan effectively presents Kashmir dispute as
a dispute for ‘right of self-determination’ of millions of Kashmiris’ (NOT as Pak-India’s
mutual
dispute) Pakistan may bring extra and effective pressure on India to initiate meaningful dialogues,
even if Pakistan fails to get the dispute resolved as per UN resolutions. India,
being mindful of all these possibilities, has adopted a well thought over
policy tactic to keep APHC out of the process of Pak-India negotiations over
Kashmir dispute.

It also needs to be appreciated
that, in the present global world, all countries are economically dependent on one
another in varying degrees. Such dependence limits every country’s capability
to bring economic and diplomatic pressures on another country. Pakistan, being
aware of this fact, has to employ some other tools as well to bring India to
terms. One such tool may be to shut doors of likely emerging regional economic
integration block to India. Pakistan should
be determined to go to every extent to block India’s way to this regional economic
block, until and unless India resolves Kashmir dispute fairly. Another tool to
bring pressure on India may be to convert India’s security perceptions into real
and clear security dangers for India; for the purpose all freedom movements,
including Kashmir movement, going on in India may be strengthened.Pakistan is much more integrated entity than
India; Pakistan may safely take risk of Indian counter subversive activities in
Pakistan. It may be only unbearable cost in terms of economy and security that
may force India to come into terms with Pakistan.

We may conclude that
the changing regional scenario demands Pakistan to change its Kashmir policy.
Pakistan has to switch over from bilateral approach to internationalization
approach to settle Kashmir dispute. At the same time, Pakistan may employ
economic and security pressures to bring India to terms.